Scottish Parliament

Written Answers

Friday 10 September 1999

Scottish Executive

Agriculture

Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made towards the introduction of an independent appeals mechanism for farmers suffering penalties in relation to their European Union subsidy claims.

Ross Finnie: We are currently reviewing and considering the possible options. We aim to build a system, including if necessary a judicial element, which fully meets the requirements of the ECHR. We will consult with industry before the end of the year about our plans and hope a new system will be introduced in time to deal with IACS 2000 applications.

Communities

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to review the indicators of social deprivation to take into account rural population patterns.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The Scottish Executive intends to construct a new index of rural deprivation using the detailed results of the next census of population which will take place in 2001. In the meantime, the Scottish Executive is exploring ways to examine rural deprivation by compiling proxy indicators from existing data sources, taking account, where possible, of population trends. Such information about rural Scotland will be supplemented with the results of the Scottish Household Survey as these become available early next year.

Drugs

Alex Fergusson (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase the funding available for drug rehabilitation programmes and facilities in rural Scotland.

Iain Gray: It is for Drug Action Teams in both rural and urban areas to review the adequacy of local drug misuse services, and take steps to make the necessary provision available through the statutory agencies concerned.

  Local authorities in Scotland are budgeting to spend £8.8 million on drugs and alcohol services in the community in this financial year, from a total social work budget of £1.1 billion. In addition, some expenditure under other service headings will be drug related. Authorities received an increase in social work service provision of £51.3m this year and will receive an additional £43.4 million in 2000-01 and £35.7 million in 2001-02.

  This year an additional £2 million has been made available to Health Boards for drug treatment services. This brings the total funding in this financial year to £11.3 million, (which does not include HIV/AIDS expenditure, some of which is drug related.) Health Boards are also free to draw down resources from other Hospital and Community Health Services budgets for drug misuse work, if required.

Education

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive to provide an estimate of pre-school grant payments to each local authority in (a) 1998-99 and (b) 1999-2000.

Peter Peacock: The payment to local authorities of pre-school grants for 1998-99 and the estimated allocation for 1999-2000 are set out in the following table:

  


Local Authority 


Total Grant Payments 1998-99

  (£) 


Total Grant allocations 1999-2000 (£) 

  



Aberdeen City 

1,883,948 


3,988,916 



Aberdeenshire 

2,780,280 


5,824,567 



Angus 

1,225,069 


2,389,088 



Argyll and Bute 

1,252,472 


2,081,683 



Clackmannanshire 

591,903 


1,112,597 



Dumfries and Galloway 

1,565,842 


3,539,200 



Dundee City 

1,436,993 


3,203,851 



East Ayrshire 

1,196,307 


2,547,125 



East Dunbartonshire 

1,139,141 


2,500,537 



East Lothian 

1,541,507 


2,259,119 



East Renfrewshire 

1,007,493 


1,850,811 



City of Edinburgh 

3,718,488 


8,628,588 



Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar 

329,610 


747,166 



Falkirk 

1,557,861 


2,972,320 



Fife 

3,586,080 


6,816,991 



City of Glasgow 

5,707,072 


12,077,938 



Highland 

2,580,878 


5,284,943 



Inverclyde 

1,041,936 


1,805,817 



Midlothian 

1,198,505 


1,709,030 



Moray 

1,389,007 


2,052,818 



North Ayrshire 

1,545,917 


2,813,640 



North Lanarkshire 

3,759,779 


7,100,107 



Orkney Islands 

238,026 


612,206 



Perth and Kinross 

1,414,612 


2,976,752 



Renfrewshire 

1,735,205 


3,740,431 



Scottish Borders 

1,121,598 


2,544,716 



Shetland Islands 

380,368 


797,721 



South Ayrshire 

1,143,572 


1,991,311 



South Lanarkshire 

3,359,689 


6,260,358 



Stirling 

903,730 


1,980,495 



West Dunbartonshire 

1,298,248 


2,142,485 



West Lothian 

1,661,170 


3,737,803 



Total 

55,292,306 


110,091,130 



*Plus Last Voucher Term 

18,719,632 


- 



Scotland Total 

74,011,938 


110,091,130 




  * - The pre-school voucher scheme operated during academic year 1998-99. Total payments to all authorities during the summer term are given in the above table.

Employment

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the impact of New Housing Partnerships on employment in the building trades, what plans it has to ensure that locally provided training is available to meet additional demand for skilled labour in each local authority area, and what adjustments it will permit to Councils’ and schools’ targets for retaining pupils beyond the minimum leaving ages in order to release pupils for training at age 16.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The Scottish Executive is consulting relevant bodies on the employment and training opportunities arising from New Housing Partnerships.

Energy

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to Her Majesty’s Government regarding the impact of energy taxes on the costs and competitiveness of high energy using Scottish industries, and what response it has had to these representations.

Henry McLeish: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government across a range of issues, including those relating to the proposals for a climate change levy.

Finance

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to make provision for the extension of training projects currently funded from the European Social Fund Objective 3 programme beyond the end of the current programme period which ends on 31 December 1999.

Mr Jack McConnell: Provision is being made for the support of the training and skills development sector during the transition period until the new Structural Funds programmes commence by the reallocation of unspent resources from the 1998 Objective 3 programme.

  I am very pleased to announce today, therefore, the provision of around £8.5 million of European Social Fund grants for 388 projects. It is important to ensure that the capacity of training organisations is sustained in order to ensure that the new programmes have a smooth start.

Health

Alex Fergusson (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to ensure that the all work test for severe disablement allowance is sufficiently inclusive to detect sufferers of chronic fatigue syndrome or M.E.

Susan Deacon: The all-work test and entitlement to Severe Disablement Allowance (SDA) are matters for the Department of Social Security and as such are reserved to the Westminster Parliament.

Health

Bristow Muldoon (Livingston) (Labour): To ask the Scottish Executive what records it has of the number of cardiac deaths of people aged under 25 years in 1996, 1997 and 1998.

Susan Deacon: The table presents summary data on deaths from heart disease in those aged under 25, extracted from the Annual Reports of the Registrar General for Scotland for the years in question:

  

Deaths from heart disease, 

Scotland, 1996 -1998 
 
 
 


Persons aged under 

25 
 
 
 


ICD9 Codes 

Cause of death 




1996 


1997 


1998 



 
DISEASES OF THE CIRCULATORY SYSTEM - Heart 

Disease 
 
 
 


390 - 392 
Acute rheumatic fever 

0 


0 


0 



393 - 398 
Chronic rheumatic heart disease 

0 


0 


0 



401 - 405 
Hypertensive disease 

0 


0 


2 



410 - 414 
Ischaemic heart disease 

1 


4 


2 



415 - 417 
Diseases of pulmonary circulation 

3 


3 


2 



420 - 429 
Other forms of heart disease 

15 


10 


17 



 
CONGENITAL ANOMALIES 
 
 
 


745 - 747 
Congenital anomalies of the

heart/circulatory system 


60 


54 


55 



Note: 
 
 
 
 


Deaths are coded to 

the World Health Organisation's Ninth Revision of the International 

Classification of Diseases (ICD9)

Health

Bristow Muldoon (Livingston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to introduce new measures to screen for cardiac problems in young people.

Susan Deacon: The UK National Screening Committee advises Health Ministers about policy on proposals for new national screening services. It has recently considered the case for screening for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and offered advice to all the UK Health Departments. The Scottish Executive is considering the implications of this advice, and I hope to make an announcement on the subject shortly.

Health

Bristow Muldoon (Livingston) (Labour): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to improve the co-ordination between the health service and local authority social work services in providing long term community care and health services.

Susan Deacon: The appointment of my colleague Iain Gray as Deputy Minister for Community Care covering both health and social work responsibilities is a clear signal that the Scottish Executive is giving the need for co-ordination and joint working a very high priority. We have also reorganised the Scottish Executive to bring responsibilities for both the social work and health aspects of community care into one division within the Health Department.

  The Action Plan: Modernising Community Care set out a range of ways for local agencies to improve co-ordination and in particular calls for more locality based working through local partnerships. To encourage implementation £5m was earmarked this year in incentive funding and we are monitoring progress. We will decide the level and distribution of the incentive fund for next year on the results of this.

  We plan to establish a single regulatory body to register and inspect residential and nursing homes, day care and home care.

  There is already some funding to pilot joint planning, funding and provision of community care. We are considering other possibilities, and ways of promoting joint training.

Health

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria will be used in deciding the future of the Paediatric Cardiac Surgery Service in Scotland; who will be advising it on this issue; with whom consultation on this issue has taken or will take place, and when a final decision on the Service’s future will be made.

Susan Deacon: The main criterion is to reach the decision which produces the highest quality of service for those children who require cardiac surgery. The other factors which we shall want to take into account are the effect of the decision on the range of other services currently provided at each hospital, as well as on the pattern of tertiary paediatric services in Scotland as a whole.

  Advice on the issue is being formulated by the Chief Executive of the NHS in Scotland and the Chief Medical Officer, based on work already carried out by National Services Division of the Common Services Agency and jointly by Greater Glasgow and Lothian Health Boards. The NSD work canvassed a broad range of opinion, including users of the service. To ensure that their advice is based on the clearest possible understanding of all the issues, the Chief Executive and CMO have recently met senior representatives of both Trusts and the Medical Schools in Edinburgh and Glasgow, as well as the 2 Health Boards.

  I expect to receive a report on this matter shortly and will announce my decision at that time.

Health

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what contingency plans are in place in the event of the new computer system in the Prescription Pricing Division of the Common Services Agency of the Scottish Health Service not being fully operational in time for the Prescription Pricing Division to be code blue for year 2000 compliance.

Susan Deacon: As part of the Common Services Agency's Year 2000 compliance programme, contingency plans have been drawn up in case of system failure.

Housing

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive to specify for each of the last 3 years, broken down, if possible, between actions raised by first and second standard security holders (a) how many home repossession actions were raised in Scottish courts against private house owners; (b) how many such actions proceeded to decree; (c) how many repossessions took place, and (d) how many families left their homes as a result of such orders.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The court records do not differentiate between first and second security holders as regards the actions raised. Nor do they differentiate between actions against private home owners and other mortgagors. The available information is given in the table below. This shows the number of actions for possession raised in the sheriff courts in the years 1996, 1997 and 1998, and the estimated number of possessions carried out in 1996 and 1997. Figures for possessions carried out in 1998 are not available.

  

 
1996



1997



1998





Actions raised (1) 
5444



5381



6934





Decrees granted (1) 
4249



4224



5367





Estimated number of

properties taken into possession (2) 
1940



2140



N/A






  Source:

  (1) Scottish Executive Justice Department.

  (2) Council of Mortgage Lenders – the figures are estimates on returns from a sample of lenders and include abandonments or voluntary possessions where a decree for possession may not have been obtained.

Justice

Shona Robison (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it endorses the aims of the Scottish Human Rights Centre.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive is committed to meeting in full its human rights obligations under the Scotland Act and the Human Rights Act; and to promoting a human rights culture in Scotland in which the rights and responsibilities of individuals are widely understood and readily enforceable.

Justice

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of the death of Mrs Rose Reid of Baillieston, Glasgow who was knocked down by a car, and the fact that the case against the alleged driver has been dropped due to the expiry of the period within which the case could have been prosecuted.

Lord Hardie: I am aware of the circumstances of this case, and of the outcome of attempts to institute criminal proceedings. Steps have been taken to avoid similar difficulties arising in the future.

Police

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers the recently introduced procedures used by police boards in addressing complaints against senior officers to be adequate.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Police (Conduct) (Senior Officers) (Scotland) Regulations 1999 provide a modern framework for dealing with complaints against senior officers. The guidance which was issued to accompany the new Regulations should ensure that the Regulations are applied consistently by police authorities.

Police

Bristow Muldoon (Livingston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to review the practice of witness citations being issued routinely by police officers on behalf of Procurator Fiscals.

Mr Jim Wallace: A successful postal citation pilot has already been carried out in Ayr and Kilmarnock which has demonstrated that issuing citations by post can be effective. A more extensive pilot is being conducted in Glasgow to check that postal citation works satisfactorily also in a large urban area and to test a computerised citation system. Consideration will be given to the introduction of a postal citation system across Scotland as a whole once evaluation of the Glasgow pilot has been completed.

Rural Affairs

Mr Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will ensure that the 1999 Arable Area Payments will be made in October, as they were last year, and whether it will make representations to Her Majesty’s Government to ensure that it will fill the funding gap which will occur when arable currency compensation becomes optional in 2000-01.

Ross Finnie: We plan to make the vast majority of payments to Scottish farmers under the 1999 Arable Area Payments Scheme (AAPS) by 31 December 1999. We are aiming to issue the first tranche of payments for cereals, linseed, protein crops and set-aside on 18 October which is the earliest working day allowed under EU legislation. This date is subject to determination of the precise overshoot in the Scottish non-LFA which influences the final payment rates for this yield region.

  With regard to agrimonetary compensation, Member States have until the third quarters of 2000 and 2001 to notify the EU Commission of any intention to pay the optional 50% element to 1999 scheme recipients. The Scottish Executive will monitor the position and consult with the other UK Agricultural Departments nearer these times.

Rural Affairs

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what stores in Scotland are being used to store rendered material from 30 month old cattle as part of the programme to eradicate BSE and what are the names of the contractors responsible for the storage facilities.

Ross Finnie: Two stores in Scotland, located at Ratho, just outside Edinburgh, and Glenrothes in Fife, are used to store the rendered remains of cattle slaughtered under the Over Thirty Months Scheme.

  A privately run waste management company, Snowies of Stirling, is responsible for both facilities.

Rural Affairs

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive which of its departments was responsible for the awarding of contracts relating to the storage of rendered material from 30 month old cattle and when the contracts were awarded.

Ross Finnie: The Intervention Board, an Executive Agency whose Board answers to all the UK Agriculture Ministers, is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the Over Thirty Months Scheme, including the procurement of storage facilities for holding rendered material.

  Contracts for the stores in Scotland were awarded in 1996.

Rural Affairs

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what arrangements are in place for the safe storage of rendered material from 30 month old cattle and what agency is responsible for the monitoring of the storage facilities.

Ross Finnie: The Intervention Board Executive Agency, whose Board answers to all the UK Agriculture Ministers, has procured storage facilities for this material at two sites in Scotland. Both the units, at Ratho and Glenrothes, have the required planning permission and statutory consents in accordance with the provisions of the Waste Management Licensing Regulations 1997.

  Both stores are secure, with padlocks and seals in place on all external doors. Officials of the Meat and Livestock Commission check security arrangements on a regular basis, and the seals can only be broken in their presence. Furthermore, officials from the Scottish Executive audit security on a monthly basis.

  Finally, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency monitor compliance with licensing conditions.

Rural Affairs

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what is the estimate of the length of time for which rendered material from 30 month old cattle will remain in store and what arrangements are being made for incineration of this material.

Ross Finnie: The material will be held in secure storage until the Intervention Board Executive Agency, whose Board answers to all the UK Agriculture Ministers, has procured the capacity required to dispose of this material in a satisfactory manner.

  The Board has already awarded incineration contracts to three companies and is currently in negotiations with other interested parties. The Board estimate that the current stockpile of material will begin to be reduced at the beginning of the year 2000. They have been set a target of incinerating 60% of the MBM stocks produced under the cull by March 2002.

Sport

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many of the Scottish schools which employ a sports co-ordinator employ this person for (a) one (b) two (c) three (d) four and (e) five days per week.

Rhona Brankin: Awards from the Lottery Sports Fund are matched by local authorities and fund the employment of a co-ordinator for one day per week. The pilot programme has highlighted that this arrangement has been very successful. Local authorities or schools are, however, able to expand the time commitment of co-ordinators if they wish to do so. Indeed, this has happened at Banchory Academy (3 days) and Portobello High School (2 days).

Superquarries

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to review the development of superquarries prior to a decision being taken regarding the development of a superquarry at Lingerbay on the Isle of Harris.

Sarah Boyack: We have no such plans.

Television Licences

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to Her Majesty’s Government regarding exempting senior citizens in Scotland from payment of the television licence fee.

Rhona Brankin: No.

Transport

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it intends to publish the outcome of its investigations into the Gourock to Dunoon ferry services.

Sarah Boyack: In 1997 The Scottish Office commissioned consultants Deloitte & Touche to examine future options for the provision of ferry services between Gourock and Dunoon. The report was received by the Government at the end of last year. One of the options was identified late in the research and the Government commissioned additional work to explore this more fully. This has now been received and I plan to publish the reports shortly.

Transport

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to upgrade the A7 Carlisle to Edinburgh route, and in particular to tackle the problem of traffic congestion and public safety in Langholm.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive is responsible for the A7 from Galashiels to the English Border. The A7 from Edinburgh to Galashiels is non-trunk and is therefore the responsibility of the local roads authorities.

  Some £7.5 million has been spent on improvement measures on the A7 between the English Border and Hawick as part of a Route Action Plan. This included traffic calming and traffic management measures for Langholm town centre to mitigate the effects of trunk road traffic and improve road safety for pedestrians.

  A Route Action Plan study is also currently underway on the section of the route between Hawick and Galashiels which will identify local improvement schemes to improve safety and the environment along the route.

  Any further works on the A7 will be considered along with other proposals for trunk road improvement works.